Ladywell, Durrow, County Laois.

The holy well

Ladywell is situated outside of the town of Durrow and about 90 kilometres into County Kilkenny, falling into the diocese of Ossory. At the site there is both a holy well and a shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is listed, along with another number of wells in a booklet produced by Canon Carrigan, who was considered to be a diocesan historian. When I visited major works were underway and it was impossible to get close to the well.

The Shrine to the Virgin

In more recent years, Ladywell has undergone very significant change with the fencing off of a field for use as a car park, the erection of a fairly significant modern concrete shrine to the Virgin and the transformation of a shed into an open air chapel of sorts, complete with pews and chairs to accommodate around two hundred or so people. The well itself was undergoing some work when I visited, surrounded by caging and set within broken quarry stone. I can only hope that archaeologists were consulted before this work was carried out, but I somehow doubt it.

The large seating area at the well

The parish priests of the area have long had concerns about the practices at this particular well and decided throughout the history of the well to try and remove what they considered to be ‘pagan’ or ‘semi-pagan’ practices. The praying of ‘rounds’ has been discouraged even to this day and the trees have been removed to stop the tying of rags. Making ‘rounds’ has always been an early Christian practice; firstly, to be done in such a way as to greet the rising sun, secondly as a way of invoking the Trinity (done three times), and thirdly as a symbolic act for those who could not afford to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, or in times when it was considered to dangerous to do so. The practice reached its zenith in the medieval period with the development of labyrinths, some of which still survive in medieval cathedrals today traced out in tiles on the floor. There are no tokens left at the well either. Early traditions included bringing a stone, small or large, which you took with you for the entire pilgrimage to the well and sometimes they were deposited there. It’s hard to know exactly why this practice was done, but it may have a parallel in a practice done on Atonement Day in Judaism, linked to the casting off of sin. Tying rags or ‘clouties’ is a relatively modern practice associated with prayers for healing. In the past, pilgrims carried a strip of white linen or cotton (which presumable became quite dirty along the way) and tied it to the tree as a symbol of forgiveness and the washing away of sin. The practice in this ‘pure form’ was still going on in County Down at holy wells into the early 1980’s and many white linen strips could be seen at wells. But even then, there were signs of it being replaced by the more modern practice. The idea of hanging your sins on the tree has of course very strong Christian parallels to Christ on the cross. Trees were also important in pre-Christian Celtic times and the presence of trees at holy wells is something of a pagan hangover with some evidence that the early Irish saints were happy to accommodate or tolerate their veneration, but exactly why certain trees were venerated in some places is unclear and it isn’t clear either as to why the early Irish saints accommodated this.

Ongoing works at the well

Ladywell during much of the nineteenth century was a somewhat obscure well, rarely visited. It lay in the centre of a field, accessed by a narrow grassy path where a large and ancient hawthorn bent over the spring well. Today, the well is clearly attracting much attention and obviously accommodates significant gatherings. In ancient times Ladywell was one of the stations on the Rosconnell pilgrimage. Little is now known of this ancient pilgrimage route or what other wells were included. The first mention comes in 1731 in a report from the Church of Ireland Bishop Tennyson of Ossory who laments that the building of booths in deep trenches all around the walls of his church at the time of the pattern and he expresses some concern that it might have a negative effect on the structure. By 1870 the traditions at Ladywell had begun to fade away. The Reverend Patrick Neary, curate of Ballyouskill and member of the Ossory Archaeological Society remarks that he found someone who remembered tents being erected at the well during the Feast of the Assumption, so we can assume that because he records a remembrance the tradition had essentially stopped.

Scapula's left at the shrine

The diocese of Ossory was somewhat strict about practices at holy wells (dare I say it, a tradition they seem keen to keep up today to a degree) and in 1810 began to stamp out any practices in the diocese. The effect of this was to remove all but the most significant Irish saints from the church’s calendar, although today things are beginning to change a little. Another result was the neglect of holy wells and pilgrimage sites and even the remembrance of local saints, with much material being lost, deliberately destroyed and some holy wells even being filled in. At one point the diocese even announced a ban from the pulpit on any attempts to make pilgrimages to holy wells. Oddly, this was the trigger for the revival of interest in Ladywell. A crowd of four hundred people made a pilgrimage to the holy well in defiance of the diocesan order. The crowd stayed at the well for some time and a police report filed on 15th August 1881 records that the gathering was orderly and passed off peacefully. In 1900 Tom Delaney from Ballinakill erected a stone cross at the well. Interest in the well continued until 1929 when a committee was formed to look after the well and they erected a collection box to garner funds for a statue of the Virgin. A statue was duly purchased and a small altar was carved by James Coady of Ballinakill which stood in the open air until a shrine was made to enclose it in 1942.

It wasn’t until the 15th August 1940 that the Catholic church finally recognised the site as being of religious importance to people, and an understanding priest (Fr William Kerwick) said the first public rosary at the shrine. It was Fr Kerwick who mobilised the committee to apply for the plot of land around the well and this application was successful in 1948 with rights granted for public right of way. From this time on the services and prayers at the shrine and well have continued to develop and grow and the well has undergone subsequent changes right up to the present day.

 The statue of the Virgin

When you arrive on the site the first thing you see is the large barn with chairs and pews that provides shelter for the services and the reciting of the rosary. The statue in the shrine dates from 1954 and was purchased to commemorate the Marian year. The first mass at the well was celebrated by Bishop Peter Birch of Ossory on 15th August 1980, but the practice of making ‘rounds’ was publicly discouraged. By the year 2000, the clergy of the local churches were slightly less concerned about trees and bushes near the well and an oak tree was planted – although not anywhere near the well it must be said! In 2001 a tradition began of marking a novena from 31st August until 8th September with the public saying of the rosary, benediction and a guest speaker each evening.

I don’t know if water is drawn from the well anymore, but when I visited a set of steps was being built down to it. It must have been quite deep and maybe even dangerous in days gone by, but now it is clearly visible and will be easily accessed when the works are completed. It appears to have a significant lime content as the water has a milky quality, but this may have been from recent works. It is not entirely a peaceful place, but it has become so bound up with the events that take place on 15th August that it is somewhat hard to get a sense of it when you visit outside these times. It is somewhat barren in terms of its surrounding countryside and there is certainly a sense of being exposed to the elements. Many holy wells are in picturesque locations and often sheltered in valleys and hidden by trees, but this well is exposed to the wilds of the Irish weather and one can imagine that in times past this well was probably more about a pilgrimage of penance than a resort for solace of the soul.

Ladywell today

We magnify thee, O Mother of the True Light,

And we glorify thee, O virgin saint, birth-giver of God,

For thou hast borne unto us the Saviour of the world;

He came and saved our souls.

Coptic Orthodox intercession to the Virgin.

How to find it:

On the road out of Durrow towards the town land of Ballinakill the holy well is clearly signposted down a narrow road to the right. Towards the end of this road a large tree sits in the centre of the road and to the right is a grassy area surrounded by tarmac and the well is situated at the far end of this site.

The original stone cross?

Saint Kavan’s Well, Annatrim, County Laois.

The sign at the holy well

Nestling in the silent shadow of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, and by the meandering River Nore there remains but a few small signs of a significant monastic settlement that existed until the time of dissolution. Not far from the village of Coolrain, a small and beautifully cared for church oozes a certain Celtic austerity. It is the church of Ireland parish of Annatrim (or Anatrim) that was built in 1835 and it sits beside a now dilapidated structure that was an earlier church, possibly dating from around the early 1700’s that looks almost Spanish in style, and which also may incorporate some of the original monastic ruins. The Red Book of Ossory lists a church on the site as the Parish of Enahtrum in 1510, so it is likely that there was yet another earlier church built here too. Not far down the hill from the church lies the holy well of Saint Kavan.

The Church of Ireland Parish of Annatrim

Annatrim, which from the Irish ‘Eanach Truim’, means the marsh of the Elder tree, and was the site of an ancient monastery. Up to the tenth century the River Nore marked the boundary between Leix and Ossory. It is said that Saint Mochaemhog was the first to establish the monastic site. We are told of this in the Annals of Annatrim Monastery itself, but of the life of the monastery (or in fact of any other detail relating to it) the annals are curiously silent. They tell us absolutely nothing; but this is not the only mystery which surrounds this site.

The Slieve Bloom Mountains

Saint Kavan (sometimes incorrectly spelt Saint Kavin) is an Irish nickname for the Welsh Saint Cadfan (Kavan in Irish meaning ‘wise man’, Cadfan in Welsh meaning Gideon, but in his day he acquired the nickname Kadvan which in Welsh means ‘warring wise’). It’s essentially a play on words - a very common practice in that early period of Irish Christianity. We don’t know a great deal about Saint Cadfan, but we do know that he was originally from Brittany and went on a missionary journey to Wales where he established two important important religious settlements. One was Tywyn and the other was Bardsey Island which he established in 516 and remained there as Abbot until 542. Bardsey Island settlement was to become one of the most important Medieval pilgrimage sites in all of Wales. It is a small island of three square miles, which offered some protection for the wars that raged on the mainland at the time. There are no records of Saint Cadfan ever travelling to Ireland, and certainly the religious site at Annatrim was only established about ten years after his death, so it would have been impossible for him to have had a hand in its construction and settlement.

The ruined church

Bardsey Island is still considered to be a holy place of pilgrimage today and the  place of the burial of Saint Cadfan. Sadly in the nineteenth century the grave marker – which is an ancient stone with the earliest known written form of Welsh – was moved into a newly built church and those who moved it did not mark the place from whence it came! There are no records in Wales of Cadfan ever leaving Bardsey Island so there is a certain mystery as to why this Welsh saint would be commemorated in Annatrim – if that who is being commemorated there!. We know that there have been Welsh connections with Ireland and her saints before - such as the Welsh connection to Saint Aidan in Ferns diocese and the connection with Saint David in County Wexford, but this one is a bit of a mystery. It is possible that Saint Mochaemhog trained in Wales and was influenced by Saint Cadfan, but we cannot be sure and any suggestion of this kind can only ever be pure conjecture. It’s made more curious still by the pattern day that used to be celebrated at the holy well. On Bardsey Island there is also a holy well dedicated to Saint Cadfan and the day of pilgrimage to it takes place on the 1^st November, but in Ireland the pattern to this well takes place on 3^rd November, however this could be a transference from celebrating the day on either All Saints or All Souls Day – but there may be yet another explanation.

Looking up the road from the holy well

There is one other possibility, which is a bit of a shot in the dark, but it may shed some light on the mystery of the holy well. In a book entitled ‘Insula Sanctorum et Doctorum’, John Healy records a story of Saint Columba of Terryglass travelling with Saint Fintan, Saint Mocumin and Saint Caemhen of Annatrim.  There is an ancient legend that claims that Fintan was born in Annatrim, but there are little records of who Saint Caehmen of Annatrim was, as mentioned by Healy. In the tale the four travelers are searching for a place to establish a religious settlement. As they walk across the top of the Slieve Bloom Mountains they come across a boy who is herding sheep who has been dumb since birth. Saint Columba of Terryglass has pity on the child and making the sign of the cross over his mouth, the boy begins to speak and tells the travelers that it is near here that they will experience their resurrection, for it is here that they will remain until death. Saint Columba of Terryglass looks down from the mountainside and sees a great company of angels in the area of Clonenagh moving backwards and forwards preparing the ground for the great harvest that will take place as a result of their settlement. Saint Columba of Terryglass, echoing the words of one of the disciples at the event of the transfiguration, proclaims, ‘It is good for us to be here.’ It’s tempting to think that this long forgotten Saint Caemhen of Annatrim is in fact Saint Kavan, but again it may only be part conjecture. The annals of the original settlement are curiously silent and John Healy does not document the source of this tale of Saint Caemhen whose feast day is recorded in the nineteenth century as the 12^th June by Colgan, but it is likely that it is a variant on a form that can be found in the Life of Fintan of Clonenagh. In that Saint’s Life, Fintan is said to journey with Saint Coeman of Annatrim. Variations of spelling are common in Ireland, and I’m not well versed enough in Irish names to know if Caemhen and Coeman might be easily interchangeable, but it all adds layers to the mystery of this area and it’s well’s dedication. It may be that the names of Saint Caemhen and Saint Kavan have become confused in a process of anglicisation and that the similarities between the name of Kavan and Cadfan are merely chance. In the Martyrology of Donegal Saint Coeman’s feast day is listed as 3^rd November with the following entry; ‘Coeman of Eanach Truim, in Laoighis, in the west of Leinster. He was of the race of Labhraidh Lorc, monarch of Erin, and brother of Caoimhghin [Kevin] of Gleann-da-locha.’ It's hard to know why Coeman would become Kavan, but it's a intriguing possibility and probably the most likely possibility in light of the scant evidence.

The holy well, barely visible beneath the brambles

A pattern day is supposed to be held at the holy well on the 3^rd November, but it appears that this has not taken place since around 1830. The well is also said to have had a special stone, known as Saint Kavan’s stone, but it is in fact a large millstone, possibly from the old ruined mills that once dominated the village of Coolrain. The stone is a large flat flagstone with an incised circle, having two circular recesses cut into it on top and two rectangular recesses underneath. On the day I was there it was impossible to see anything. The well itself was barely visible through the mounds of weeds and brambles (a somewhat ironic symbol of it tangled history), and it was impossible to say if the millstone was still present. Despite it’s shabby appearance, the well is still marked and local people know of its existence, but with much mystery surrounding its dedication, it is likely that a pattern around it will never revive and sadly this well will probably only remain a curiosity. If on the other hand it were possible to untangle the Kavan’s the Coeman’s and and the Caemhen’s and finally settle on the listing in the Martyrology of Donegal, then a revival of the pattern and a remembrance of a forgotten Irish saint might just be possible -  but I fear that we might have to wait until something else is uncovered in terms of documentation to clear the entanglements up!

A picture of Saint Kavan's stone from days when the well was less neglected
Photograph courtesy of http://www.thestandingstone.ie

Be each saint in heaven,

Each sainted woman in heaven,

Each angel in heaven

Stretching their arms for you,

Smoothing the way for you,

When you go thither

Over the river hard to see;

Oh when you go thither home

Over the river hard to see.

A Welsh blessing from a collection by Alexander Carmichael.

How to find it:

From the Church of Ireland parish Annatrim, walk down the hill away from the church and the church ruins and not far down you will see a large metal sign indicating the presence of the well.

Saint Lachtain’s Holy Well, Freshford

A zoomorphic image in the arch of St Lachtain's church

In the picturesque little village of Freshford in County Kilkenny lies a deep holy well dedicated to Saint Lachtain. The village is settled on a small park square with the remnants of an Irish high cross, but sadly all that is to be seen is a lump of worn stone. A little way down from the village square is the church of Saint Lachtain, built in 1731 and incorporating an ancient doorway portal from 1110. Although the actual church building is of a relatively late date, the site is of great historical significance in Ireland as a site of almost continuous use since its early foundation.

 The ancient archway of St Lachtain's church

The original foundation at Freshford was settled some time in the seventh century before the death of Saint Lachtain in 672AD (some annals record the earlier date of 622AD, but this may be a confusion with the date of the foundation of the first church at Freshford) and very early historical records make many references to the existence of the site. It is mentioned later in various Annals dating from the twelfth and thirteenth century, where an attempt is clearly being made to have the site recognized as the Episcopal centre of the newly established diocese of Ossory. The mission met with failure with the site being recognized only a part of the temporalities of the See of Ossory in 1218. However, Bishop Hugh Mapleton held it in high esteem and built his Episcopal palace close by called Uppercourt. Uppercourt was to remain the favoured residence of the Bishop’s of Ossory until the 1550’s when Bishop John Bale was resident. This Bishop had a voracious reforming zeal which enraged the local population and in a single night they murdered five of his servants, forcing him to flee for his life. Since then, the building of Uppercourt has been in secular ownership.

The village of Freshford

Today the church of Saint Lachtain is still in regular use and the nave of the church is thought to be built on the same foundation outline as the tenth century cell church (the second church to built on the site) which was built to house the relic of Saint Lachtain’s arm; a magnificent silver and gold reliquary which housed the saints forearm bones and which can be seen in the National Museum in Dublin. It’s nothing short of a miracle that the relic survived at all as the site was plundered numerous times by the Vikings and casual robbers, who repeatedly burned its books and plundered its silver and gold. The Franciscan’s moved the reliquary to County Kerry in the mid 1600’s where it was to stay for some time before being transferred into the care of the Museum in Dublin. The doorway to the church is the oldest surviving part of it, dating to 1110 and incorporating some zoomorphic figures, a rider on horseback and two ecclesiastical figures (both unidentified). The arch carries a prayer inscribed in Irish script: Pray for Niamh, daughter of Corc, and for Mathgamhan O Clearmaic for whom this church was made. Pray for Gille Mocholmoc for whom this church was made. Pray for Gille Mocholmoc O Ceannucain who made it.

Two ecclesiastical figures in the arch

Saint Lachtain’s day is celebrated on 19^th March. A native of Muskerry in County Cork and born into an illustrious family, Saint Lachtain’s arrival was shrouded in mystery in a vision given to Saint Molua while under the oversight of Saint Comgall of Bangor. It was said that Saint Molua was so disturbed by this vision, and in fear that it he had fantasised the whole thing himself, he never broke a smile until he heard of the child’s birth! Lachtains genealogy is confused, but it is generally regarded that he was of royal lineage. The earliest life of the saint (which only records his early years) is now lost, but various writers such as Colgan records a story from it regarding how the child in the womb appeared in a vision to a blind man by the name of Mohemeth to give him his sight. Other stories relating to Lachtain’s childhood portray him in the same vein as Jacob, Jeremiah and John the Baptist, sanctified before their birth - a common device used in early Irish Saint’s Life’s. Other miracles from his childhood relate how he healed himself of food poisoning, how he healed his mother of a terminal tumor and how he saved the cattle of the area from a terrible plague.

The shrine reliquary of Saint Lachtain's arm

In later Life accounts of the saint we are told how he journeyed northward and went to study under the direction of Saint Comgall in Bangor, who placed him in the care of Saint Molua as his guardian and teacher. He remained here until the age of thirty, studying diligently and being highly proficient in his knowledge of the scriptures. After this period in Bangor, Lachtain set out to establish a number of religious foundations both in County Kilkenny and in County Cork.

 The much neglected holy well

The saint’s holy well is a short walk from the ecclesiastical site, set off slightly from the main road into the village. O’Hanlon records it as being in great disrepair and utterly neglected by the local people, but the same well is mentioned in the ancient Life of Saint Mochoemoc (an Abbott in the time of Saint Lachtain’s later years and patron saint of LIsmore) as being a place ‘sacred to the memory of Saint Lachtain’. Saint Lachtain died on the 19^th March in 672AD and within a very short period of his death he was being venerated as a saint, recorded in the martyrology of AEngus of Culdee, the Martyrology of Tallaght, of Marianus O’Gorman, of Maguire, O’Clery’s, in the Calendar of Cashel, and more curiously the saint appears in the sanctorale of the Carthusian Order throughout Europe on the same date. There are a number of Holy Wells dedicated to Saint Lachtain throughout Ireland and all of them hold in common a belief that they cure paralytics and those ‘possessed by a diabolical agency’. The waters in the holy well at Freshford are considered beneficial for the blessing of cattle; possibly relating to an account in one of the Life’s which tells of the Saint’s gift of cattle to the people and of his love of dairy food. Saint Lachtain was also highly regarded as a broker of peace between warring factions and tribal scuffles, and was said to have been a keen defender of the interests of the people of Munster. In later martyrologies he is recorded as being a Bishop, but despite the record, it is a claim that is difficult to ascertain in truth. Overall, Lachtain’s life is one that tells of supreme sacrifice, leaving behind his royal rights to enter a life of self-giving and risking his life in peacemaking for the people he loved. A healer, a teacher and a man of prayer who travelled by faith the length and breath of Ireland, Saint Lachtain’s memory is firmly fixed in Freshford; a sleepy, peaceful little village in County Kilkenny.

The modern, small cross at the well

At some point the holy well at Freshford has gone through very significant alteration, with a boundary wall now built to separate it from the surrounding farmer’s fields, and an iron gate encompassing a cross erected at its entrance. A Conservation Plan from 2004, typically makes no mention of the well at all. The holy well itself is very deep, but badly neglected. Its culverts have become blocked, so the water fills up over the top of the circular well housing and because of the lack of flow, much green algae has grown on the surface of the water. The rest of the well housing is in good condition, with a tiny stone cross in one corner. It is a simple layout and easy to make rounds, but the waters are far from inviting! Despite being on a main road into the village, it is a peaceful place with its own peculiar charm and sleepy nature. A much overlooked site that’s well worth the visit.

The iron gate at the entrance to the well

Lachtain, the Champion, loved

Humility, perfect and pure,

Stand through perpetual time

Did he in defence of the men of Munster.

Cumineus of Connor.

O thou who art heroic love, keep alive in our hearts that adventurous spirit which makes men scorn the way of safety, so that thy will be done. For so only, O Lord, shall we be worthy of those courageous souls who in every age have ventured all in obedience to thy call, and for whom the trumpets have sounded on the other side; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

John H. Oldham

The stump of the high cross

How to find it:

From Kilkenny heading out to the village of Freshford, the holy well is located around 200 metres before the village on the right hand side of the road. As you enter the village, the church is located down a road to the right off the main village green.

A cross inscribed in the doorway of the church